That sort of eating requires no frill or furbelows. Comfort food doesn’t have to be fancy. You can eat it in your PJ’s, or wearing your Sunday best. It’s a feeling, not an occasion. A hearty pie with plenty of nourishing veggies. A crisp sandwich. Marmite toast with lashings of butter. Porridge with local honey. These are good foods to fix a hankering, to fill a hole, or to mend a broken heart.
The taste, smell, and texture of food can be extraordinarily evocative, resurrecting memories not just of eating food itself, but also of place, setting and emotions.
The smell of cinnamon can throw you back to Christmas in Berlin, a fresh pot of tea can throw you back to cuppas and catch-ups with your bestie. The taste of your favourite Côtes de Provence rosé wine can bring about a smile when remembering your wedding day.
Meaningful food memories are deeply embedded within us and, more often than not, they are made in pubs.